GOV'T INVESTMENTS NOT JUST IN INFRA PROJECTS --- NEDA CHIEF

Government investments in infrastructure projects are not purely on roads, bridges, and airports, but also in other facilities that will help the Filipinos’ daily lives amid the pandemic.

In a press conference on Build, Build, Build program Friday, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua said the government has spent budget for health facilities, water, sanitation, flood control, and digital infrastructure like the national ID system.

“We are investing in a wide range of infrastructure projects,” Chua said. “All of these are needed during this pandemic and our move to the new normal.”

He added that aside from providing the much-needed infrastructure for Filipinos, the government´s investment in the Build, Build, Build program will also generate more jobs.

“(T)his has the biggest multiplier in terms of jobs. One job that you create in the infrastructure sector creates another 0.5 jobs. Every peso you spend in construction creates another peso because of the services around the construction. That’s why we are pursuing this,” he said.

As of May 12, 2021, the government has 119 infrastructure flagship projects with a total value of PHP4.7 trillion. Eleven projects were already completed and 29 more are scheduled to be finished by the end of 2022.

The administration also has 51 ongoing projects to be delivered by 2023 and beyond, and will be leaving 28 pipeline projects for the next leadership.

“We have a strong pipeline to ensure that the next administration will have a very good starting point to build on the progress we build so far,” Chua said.

He added that the administration also has accomplished a lot in its Build, Build, Build program, particularly by raising the infrastructure spending to 5 percent of gross domestic product.

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